Social program

Throughout the week, various social activities have been included in the schedule to increase interactivity and the overall pleasantness of this event. Now that they have been finalized, we are glad to announce the following program:


Sunday July 12th, 10:00-11:30 EDT: Reception (speed networking)

After the opening remarks and the introduction talk, participants will be invited to take part in small breakout rooms, in which they will get to meet old colleagues and new acquaintances. These will be shuffled a few times during the event to emulate the social cross-pollination that makes conferences so useful to (young) scientists' careers.


Monday July 13th, 13:00-14:00 EDT: Conference excursion

Given the virtual nature of this conference, we get to go somewhere that is usually difficult to access: Antarctica! We'll get to see how John and Yuya, two "winter-overs" for the IceCube experiment, navigate the day-to-day challenges associated with being at the end of the world, as well as learn a bit about the exciting science with which they get to engage.

Thanks again to John Hardin and Yuya Makino, who were presenting on behalf of the IceCube Collaboration, as well as to Jim Madsen and Lindsey Steffes for helping to set up this wonderful event. If you missed it, a recording is available here.


Wednesday July 15th, 13:00-14:00 EDT: Children's corner

Following the positive response to our survey, we will be presenting an activity geared towards children. Participants with children at home are encouraged to include them and there will also be special activities to keep them busy while their parents are hooked to their computers, learning about the latest and most exciting research on OBA stars.

Thanks again to Stan Owocki for the readings, and to Saida Caballero-Nieves for the nice animation and activities! Thanks also to everyone who submitted contributions to our constellation drawings activity! If you missed it, a recording is available here.


Friday July 17th, 13:00-14:30 EDT: Conference dinner

This event will serve as an end to the conference, and will include closing remarks by some of the organizers, as well as a few surprises. Much like at a real dinner, participants will be asked to sign up to "tables" where they can spend time with their friends and colleagues, between the general interventions. Guests are also allowed to join, and everyone will be encouraged to share a meal at that time (either breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on each person's location).